The present invention relates to a carbon-containing refractory having excellent resistance to oxidation. Due to the high thermal conductivity of carbon, its resistance to wetting in relation to molten metal and slag, and its characteristic of preventing over-sintering of the refractory composition, refractories containing carbonaceous material such as graphite, when used along with another refractory aggregate, supplement the advantages of that aggregate and so they are widely used as refractories for metallurgy, in steel, pig iron production, etc.
Since carbonaceous material such as graphite, however is very easily oxidized in an oxidizing atmosphere and loses the aforementioned advantages, in order to fully exhibit the advantages of carbon containing refractories, it is very important practically to minimize the oxidation of the carbonaceous material such as graphite, that is to produce a carbon-containing refractory composition excellent in oxidation resistance.
Although a variety of attempts have been carried out up to the present, as means to prevent the oxidation of carbon containing refractory compositions there is still no satisfactory process as yet.
Even though, as seen from Japanese Laid Open Patent Application Nos. 54-39422, 54-163913, 55-65348, 55-107749, 56-59668, 57-166362 etc. for example, carbon-containing refractories added with one or more types of metal powder having a higher affinity for oxygen than that of carbon have been well-known, and such physical techniques for preventing oxidation of carbon as cutting off the contact of carbon with oxygen by covering the particles of carbon with vitreous silicate, borate, phosphate etc., have also been disclosed, none of these have been satisfactory.